Antiskidding device



Feb. 25, 1941. .1. E. BROWN Erm.

- ANTISKIDDING DEVICE I Filed (April 9, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENToRs ATTORNEYS Feb. 25, 1941. J. E. BRowN :TAL 2232,821A

ANTISKIDDING' DEVICE l Filed April 9, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' JOM LZ1/imam' f l Walter fz. Saffo/z,

ATTOR N EYS INVENTOR 5 Feb. 25, 1941. J. E; BROWN ETAL ANTISKIDDING DEvIcE AFiled April 9,- 1940 s Smets-sheer. 5

INVENTORS ATTOR N EYS Patented Feb. 25, 194.1

l UNITED STATES AN TISKIDDING DEVICE John E. Brown and Walter H. Sutton, Tarentum, Pa.; said Sutton assignor of one-fourth to Andrew A. Barna, Mary L. Ecsedy, B. Pivak, all of Pittsburgh, Pa.

and n Steven Application April 9, 1940, Serial No. 328,744

Claims.

under constant control of the operator, thus avoiding accidents brought about by skidding on icy or Wet roadways.

A further object is to provide an antiskidding device that includes ground engaging and penetrating means which when the device is moved to operative position is resiliently held in constant biting engagement with the roadway, regardless of the condition of its surface, and that feature makes it possible to place the device in operative position, with the vehicle travelling at high speeds, so that in the event a sudden stop is required, such can be accomplished without fear of skidding.

Another object is to provide an antiskidding device that can be operated in an easy and expeditious manner, and simultaneously with the brakes of the vehicle for use in conjunction therewith, for braking .the vehicle without skidding at amr speed.

A still further object is to provide an antiskidding device that can be installed on any type of mo-tor vehicle for highway travel, without interference with the drive shaft or other movable parts thereof, and includes a pair of units for engagement with the ground adjacent to the rear wheels, so as to eliminate lateral skidding under any circumstances.

Another object is to provide an antiskidding device that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, and extremely efcie'nt in operation, use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with our antiskidding device, with the latter lowered to operative position.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the chassis of the vehicle, with our device in rear elevation and in operative position.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View taken through the operating means.

Figure 4 is a top plan view thereof. Y

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 5 5 of Figure Z, and illustrates one of the units of our device in operative or ground engaging position in full lines and in elevated position in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is a rear View looking toward the left of Figure 5, with partsv broken away and in section.

Figure 7 is a sectional View taken approximately on line 1 1 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken through one of the hanger brackets for the units.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the letter A indicates the side members of the frame of a motor vehicle chassis and B the intermediate members thereof, and it will be noted as best shown in Figure 2 that our device includes a pair of hanger brackets l bolted or otherwise secured tothe side members A, for the disposal of the units adjacent to the rear wheels of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 1. The hanger brackets include depending portions in the form of pockets provided with spaced parallel walls-2 and a rear wall 3, while the front and lower ends of the pockets are open, as best shown in Figure 8.

Cooperating with the hanger brackets I for supporting and attaching our device with respect to the vehicle, is a substantially U-shaped bracket 4 bolted to the intermediate member B and bridging the arms of the bracket 4 and the depending portions of the hanger brackets l are shafts 5 having their ends journaled in the respective brackets and held against endwise movement by collars 6. The inner ends of the shafts 5 have keyed or otherwise secured theretoI gears 1 which mesh with gears 8 secured on the ends of a stub shaft 9 that bridges the arms of the bracket 4 and journaled therein, with the result it will be seen that the movement of one of the shafts 5 will move the other and by the use of the U- shaped bracket 4, our device will not interfere with the drive shaft of the vehicle, as will be apparent upon inspection of Figure 2. V

Each of the units include a cylinder made up of an outer cylindrical section I0 and an inner cylindrical section Il which is mounted for slidable movement in the outer section I0 for telescopic association therewith, as will be apparent upon inspection of Figure 6, and the outer cylindrical section has formed thereon and rising therefrom a flat ear I2 disposed between the parallel walls 2 and pivotally mounted on the shaft 5 for'free swinging movement in the arc of a circle of approximately forty-five degrees, or in other words forwardly and rearwardly from and to the full and dotted line positions of Figure 5, but further rearward movement is prevented due to the fact. that the ear and upper end of the outer section I abuts the rear wall 3, as clearly shown in Figure 8.

The section I I is guided in its movement by rods I3 formed on and extending from the outer end thereof, and mounted for slidable movement in sleeve members I4 formed on and extending laterally from diametrically opposite sides of the section I0. The outer ends of the rods I3 have stop members I5 extending therethrough for engageinent with the sleeve members to limit the outward movement of the section II, which iS moved accordingly with respect to the section I0 by a coil spring I5 having its end convolutions engaging the end Walls of the sections, as shown in Figure 6, and the spring is held in proper position to efficiently perform its intended function by a projection I1 secured to and extending centrally from the end wall of the section I 0, with the spring sleeved thereon.

Formed on and extending outwardly from the section I I is an ear I8 upon which is rockably mounted the ground engaging means of the unit, and in the form as shown, the ground engaging means includes a pair of strip members secured together in parallelism with each other to provide an elongated frame I9 having journaled be tween each of the ends thereof a toothed wheel 20. The frames extend longitudinally of the vehicle, as best shown in Figure 1, so that when the units are lowered with the ground engaging means in operative position, the wheels will travel along the ground, as well as penetrate the same, thus preventing lateral skidding of the vehicle, as will be apparent.

Each of the units is provided with a bell crank 2I rockably mounted on its shaft 5 adjacent to its unit, and the bell crank is provided with a long arm 22 and a short arm 23 which has one end of a link 24 pivotally connected thereto, while the opposite end of the link 24 is pivotally connected to a link 25, the latter being in turn pivotally connected to an ear 26 formed on and extending rearwardly from the outer end of the innel` section il. The link has a latch notch 21 therein to receive a keeper 28 formed on the outer end of the section IE) for disposal in the path of the notch and when received therein holds the section II in its innermost position with the ground engaging means elevated above the ground.

Adjustably secured to the shafts 5 adjacent to the bell cranks 2I are collars 29, each having formed thereon and extending substantially from diametricaliy opposite sides thereof, upwardly and downwardly directed limbs 30 and 3I having their outer ends bent at right angles with respect to the remaining portions thereof to provide contact members 32 and 33, the contact member 32 being engageable with the long arm 22 of the bell crank while the contact member 33 is engageable with an abutment lug 34 formed on a sleeve member I4 for disposal in the path of the contact member 33, as will be apparent upon inspection of Figure 5. The contact member 33 has a spring pressed tripping member 35 pivotally mounted thereon and provided with a beveled outer edge 36 and a straight edge 31, the latter being engageable with an abutment plate 33 formed on and extending laterally from the link 25 for breaking the joint of the links for the purpose of releasing the outer cylindrical section IIJ from its latching means for movement to its outermost position, as shown in full lines in Figure 5. Adjustably secured to one of the shafts 5 is a collar 39 having formed thereon and extending from dametrically opposite sides thereof, upper and lower operating arms 40 and 4I respectively, for a purpose which will be later described.

In order to move the units to their respective positions, as shown in full and dotted lines in Figure 5, we provide operating means for rocking the shafts through the medium of the arms 40 and 4I, and the operating means shown, includes a drum 42 journaled in a casing 43 secured to the rear face of the instrument board of the vehicle, and having formed thereon guide collars 44 for the upper and lower runs 45 and 45 respectively of a cable that is wound about the drum and xed thereto preferably by a screw bolt 41. The runs of the cables are guided in their movement by pulleys 48 and the upper run has its rear end connected to the upper arm 40, while the lower run has its rear end connected to the lower arm 4 I, so that upon movement of the drum the shafts 5 will be moved accordingly. The drum is moved or rotated through the medium of a hand lever 49 secured to the shaft or trunnions of the drum, and is held in adjusted position by ratchet means including teeth 50 formed on the arcuate edge of the casing 43 for receiving a pawl operated in the usual manner by means of a spring pressed hand gripping element 5I.

It will be obvious that the hand lever 4I is arranged in convenient reach of the operator of the vehicle, and it is believed that the operation of our device will likewise be obvious, but it might be mentioned that when it is desired to place the units in their lowered and operative position, as shown in full lines in Figure 5, the hand lever 49 is moved upwardly for Winding the upper run of the cable about the drum, so as to Iplay on the lower run. The units tend to lower themselves by gravity due to the weight thereof and when they reach their lowered or vertical position, further movement thereof is impossible due to the the ground. When it is desired to raise the units, i

further upward movement of the operating lever will result in the contact members 32 engaging the long arms 22 of the bell cranks to rock the latter and raise the ground engaging means, through the instrumentality of 'the links to dispose the latch notches engaged with their keepers, thence upon downward movement of the hand lever, the contact members 33 will engage the abutment lugs 34 and Ithus the units will be moved to their uppermost or dotted line Iposition of Figure 5 and held accordingly by the ratchet means of the hand lever, as will be apparent upon inspection of Figure 1.

It is thought from the foregoing description 4that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An antskdding device for a motor vehicle,

cylinder made up of an outer section and an inner section, with the latter telescopically mounted in the outer section, a spring within the cylinder for urging the inner section outwardly of the outer section, means to limit the outward movement of the inner section, an elongated frame swingingly mounted on the inner section of each cylinder for disposal longitudinally of the vehicle, rotatably mounted ground engaging toothed wheels at the ends of the frame, a shaft for each unit and having the cylinders mounted thereon for swinging movement to a vertical operative position and to an elevated normal position, brackets for and having the shafts journaled therein and including means to limit the movement of the cylinders to their vertical position, latching means for holding the inner sections in their innermost position with the ground engaging wheels out of use, means for moving the cylinders to their respective positions and for actuating the latching means, said moving and actuating means being mounted on the shafts and cylinders, and operating means for the moving and actuating means and including handled means mounted adjacent to the drivers seat of the vehicle.

2. An antiskidding device for a motor vehicle, comprising a pair of units, each including a cylinder made up of an outer section and an inner section with the latter telescopically mounted in Ithe outer section, a coil spring engageable with the ends of the sections for urging the inner section outwardly of the outer section, guiding means for the inner section and including means to limit the outward movement thereof, an elongated frame swingingly mounted lon the inner section of each cylinder for disposal longitudinally off the vehicle, rotatably mounted ground engaging toothed wheels at the ends of the frames, a shaft for each unit and having the cylinders mounted thereon for swinging movement to a Vertical operative position and to an elevated normal position, supporting means for and having the shafts journaled therein and including means to limit the movement of the cylinders to their vertical position, means geared to the shafts for rotation of the latter in unison, means for moving the cylinders to their respective positions and mounted on the shafts and cylinders, means including arms fixed to one of said shafts for operating the moving means, a drum mounted adjacent to the drivers seat olf the vehicle, a cable secured to said drum and having its ends connected to the arms, and handled ratchet'means for operating the drum.

3. An antiskidding device for a motor vehicle, comprising a pair of units, each including a clyinder made up of an outer section and an inner sectionr with the latter telescopically mounted in the outer section, a spring engagea'ble with the ends of the sections for moving the inner section outwardly of the outer section, guiding means for the outer section and including means to limit the outward movement of the inner section, an elongated frame swingingly mounted on the inner section of each cylinder, rotatably mounted ground engaging toothed wheels at the ends of the frames, a shaft for each unit and having the Icylinders mounted thereon for swinging movement to a vertical operative position and to an elevated normal position, supporting brack.

ets for the shafts and having the ends of the latter journaled therein, means geared to the shafts for rotation of the latter in unison, means included in certain of said brackets to limit the movement of the cylinders to their vertical posii tions, latching means for holding the inner section in its innermost position with respect to the outer section with the ground engaging Wheels out of use, means for moving the cylinders to their respectivepositions and for actuating the latching means when the lcylinders are in their vertical position, said moving an'd actuating means mounted on the shafts and cylinders, and operating means for the moving and actuating means and including handled means mounted adjacent to the drivers seat of the vehicle.

4. An antiskidding device for a motor vehicle, comprising a pair of units, each including spring pressed telescopifcally mounted means, ground engaging means swingingly mounted on the outer ends of the spring pressed means, a shaft for each unit and having the spring pressed means mounted thereon for disposal adjacent to the rear wheels of the vehicle for swinging movement to a vertical operative position and to an elevated normal position, hanger :brackets mounted on the side members of the chassis frame of the vehicle and having one of the ends of the shafts journaled therein, a U-shaped bracket mounted on the intermediate member of the chassis frame and having the opposite ends of the shafts journaled therein, a stub shaft journaled in the arms and the rst mentioned shafts and meshing with each other for rotating the latter shafts in unison, latching means for holding the ground engaging means out of use, means mounted on the first mentioned shafts and the spring pressed means for moving .the ground engaging means into and out of latching position and for swinging the spring pressed means to their respective positions, means for operating the moving and swinging means and including a collar adjustably mounted on one of the nrst mentioned shafts, arms extending from diametrically opposite sides of the collar, a drum journaled adjacent to the drivers seat of the vehicle, a cable fixed to the drum to be Wound about the same and having its ends secured to the arms, and handled means for operating the drum.

5. An antiskidding device for a motor vehicle, comprising a shaft, means having the shaft journaled therein and mounlted on the chassis frame of .the vehicle, a cylinder including an outer section and a spring pressed inner section slidably mounted in the outer section and urged outwardly therefrom, ground engaging means swingingly mounted on the inner section, said cylinder rbeing swingingly mounted on the shaft for movement to a vertical operative position and to an elevated normal position, a bell crank secured to the shaft, links connecting one arm of the bell crank to the inner section for moving the latter to its innermost position, latching means for holding the inner section in its innermost position and provided on one link and the outer section respectively, a pair of oppositely disposed limbs secured to the shaft, one limb being engageable with the other arm of .the bell crank for moving the inner section .to latched position, the other limb being engageable with the cylinder for moving the same to its elevated position and also engageable with the said link for releasing the latching means, and means for rotating .the shaft and including handled means disposed adjacent to Ithe drivers seat of the vehicle.

JOHN E. BROWN. WALTER H. SUTTON. 

